• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

New build power supply

J

joseph0042

Limp Gawd
Joined
Dec 30, 2011
Messages
398
Ok, I need some help with a power supply for my new build. I have the habit of getting more than I need, so be honest in how much you actually think.

Here's what I am getting:

i5-2500k
Asus P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3
OCZ Agility 3 120GB Sata3
Some GTX 580 (haven't decided which I want to get yet)
Corsair Vengeance Series 8GB (2x4GB) Black
Another 500GB-1TB HDD (haven't decided which I want to get yet)
Asus Blu-ray drive

Also getting a corsair 800D
The idea is to later expand to gtx 580 sli. I am also planning on going watercooling after completing my build and getting an idea of where I want it all to go, so the power supply will also need to power the pump, fans, maybe a few uv lights, etc...
I have heard that a good 850W power supply would be fine with all this, but I just want to make sure it will meet my needs and I won't fall short.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!! Even if you guys have a better idea for what parts I should go for instead of what I have picked.
 
Is there a specific power supply that you would recommend? And would I be maxing an 850?
 
No, you won't come close to maxing out an 850 watt. You'll probably max out around 700-750 watts with an overclocked SLI setup. And you will only reach that number if you're doing something like simultaneous furmark and LinX or while folding on the CPU and GPUs. Gaming typically reaches about 75% of maximum theoretical power consumption; although this highly depends on the game and the settings used.

How much are you looking to spend?
 
Only reason I ask is because I went on newegg's power wattage calculator and it said I would need like 950 for the i5, motherboard, 2 580's (in the future, 1 for now), 1 sdd and 1 hdd (i just put in 2 hdd's), and the blu-ray player.

Well I will budget around a great model. I want one that will last and is modular.
 
newegg's calculator is trash, don't bother with it... generally speaking, don't bother with power calculators.

As for suggestions, these are some of the best deals at newegg on premium units:
Rosewill Lightning 1000W @ 130$ after rebate and promo code, simply unbeatable deal for a premium Gold unit(SuperFlower Golden Green)
Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid @ 150$ after rebate, another premium Gold unit at a very good price(made by Enhance this time)
Lepa G900 @ 160$ after rebate, Enermax Modu 87+ inside, again a very good Gold unit, inaudible.
XClio StablePower Gold 1000W @ 175$, same platform as the Cooler Master above, a very good Gold unit made by Enhance, similar internally to the Silverstone Strider Gold 1000W(if you want to look for reviews).
 
hmm I was looking at the rosewill, just don't know if I would like not being able to turn off the connector lights.

How about a corsair hx1000? I have seen mixed reviews online and I've seen people selling them on here for $150.
 
joseph0042 said:
hmm I was looking at the rosewill, just don't know if I would like not being able to turn off the connector lights.

How about a corsair hx1000? I have seen mixed reviews online and I've seen people selling them on here for $150.
Click to expand...

The HX1000 is a old(now discontinued) unit built by CWT, it's inferior to everything listed above and it's not something you'd want to buy as new... maybe for like 70-80$ as a backup.
 
What power supply would you go with if you were in my shoes? I have also debated the corsair hx850.
 
joseph0042 said:
What power supply would you go with if you were in my shoes? I have also debated the corsair hx850.
Click to expand...

That's a tough question, I don't like LEDs either, any of the other three would be a good choice, the Silent Pro Hybrid comes with the longest warranty though.. I'd probably go with that, it's very quiet and it's fully modular.. not the best unit at that output level but it's 150$, which makes it a very good deal.
 
Profumo said:
Honestly, I'd look for a cheaper PSU(100-120$) and put the money difference towards two 7970s as opposed to two 580s, it's probably the worst moment to go out and buy 580s :)
Click to expand...

Yeah I am going to see if I can find a 850W for around that price. But the reason I was going for 580's is because you can find people selling them used for around $350, around $400 if you want the 3GB version. Knowing that would you still suggest getting the 7970?

matrix2000x2 said:
Seasonic X850 or Corsair AX850 would be good.
Click to expand...

Yeah I was also looking at those 2 models. Know anywhere that is having a sale on either of those 2? Or anyone that is selling one used for that matter?
 
joseph0042 said:
Yeah I am going to see if I can find a 850W for around that price. But the reason I was going for 580's is because you can find people selling them used for around $350, around $400 if you want the 3GB version. Knowing that would you still suggest getting the 7970?
Click to expand...
I don't generally buy used hardware.. in fact I can't remember buying any "used hardware" apart from a couple mobile phones and an MSI bench table.. but if you're comfortable with that, 350$ GTX 580s are hard to pass.

Also, stop taking advice from Corsair marketing victims.
 
Profumo said:
I don't generally buy used hardware.. in fact I can't remember buying any "used hardware" apart from a couple mobile phones and an MSI bench table.. but if you're comfortable with that, 350$ GTX 580s are hard to pass.

Also, stop taking advice from Corsair marketing victims.
Click to expand...

Yeah I have debated the risks of buying one used, I just have a hard time buying a 560 graphics card lol...

Haha...I just want a power supply that is solid, is preferably black, but doesnt have to be.
 
joseph0042 said:
Yeah I have debated the risks of buying one used, I just have a hard time buying a 560 graphics card lol...

Haha...I just want a power supply that is solid, is preferably black, but doesnt have to be.
Click to expand...

All units listed above are solid... at around ~100$ I'd suggest you look for an NZXT Hale82 or an XFX XXX.
 
NZXT had been using re-branded Seasonic power supplies, if I remember correctly. Assuming that they still are, then they would be a good choice, from a quality standpoint. Antec uses several re-branded Seasonic units and you can sometimes find a relatively similar unit to the actual Seasonic model at a significant discount. Corsair has done the same, but has also used several other manufacturers, so it is best to check who actually makes the unit and whether or not there has been a credible review. I personally like to look up units using this PSU Review Database. Seasonic and SuperFlower consistently produce a lot of the well-reviewed units in the 800 to 1000W range, regardless of whose name gets stamped on the box in the end.

A good quality unit will have no trouble providing its rated output power, while keeping all of the other stuff in check (overshoots, ripple, etc). The CPU that you are picking, even overclocked, is not a huge power drain, but the two 580s will certainly consume their fair share. I would get a list of the four or five units that strike your fancy or meet your budget constraints, then look them up in the review database to get a better idea of how they actually perform(ed). From there, compare prices online and pull the trigger.

As a side note: In my personal systems I have a Kingwin Lazer 1000W PSU that I picked up during a holiday sale for $100.00, a Corsair HX650 that I picked up for $75.00 on sale, an Antec Neo Eco 520C that I got on sale for $40.00 and a Seasonic S12II 430 that was also about $40.00 on sale. Timing can be very important, but don't keep checking after you make your decision because I guarantee some better deal will show up a few days after you buy your power supply...
 
joseph0042 said:
Why do you say they are better?
Click to expand...

Because they are;)
The Hale82 is internally a Seasonic M12II-850 Bronze(SS-850AT) while the XFX XXX is internally a Seasonic M12D(SS-850HT), the XFX is the best unit of the two(not by a considerable margin) but the NZXT is the quietest.. the FSP built Silent Pro M 850 is also a very solid unit, but not quite on par with the other two... honestly, none of them would be a poor choice.
 
Oh I see, I have been looking that that PSU review database and checking out the various power supplies they have recorded. It seems that corsair PSU HX and AX seem to get continual good reviews especially in the 850 section. Are they worth paying the bit extra for them comparitively?
 
The big difference between the HX and TX is that the HX is modular. Personally, I like modular power supplies and I really like the way that Corsair sets up the HX650 that I have. It only has the 20/24-pin and 4/8-pin connectors permanently attached. The other cables use a flat layout, which made routing very easy in my case.

The HX850 and AX850 have all their connections made in modular style. The AX series increases the efficiency, but that is probably not a big deal unless you are really concerned about the environment or your electric bill :)
 
MrCaffeineX said:
The big difference between the HX and TX is that the HX is modular.
Click to expand...
And they use completely different designs, and they have different levels of performance, and they have different pricing levels, and they may be made by completely different manufacturers depending on the model. In fact, there really isn't anything similar about the HX and TX lines other than the fact that they are all PSUs and they all have the name "Corsair" on the box.
 
Zero82z said:
And they use completely different designs, and they have different levels of performance, and they have different pricing levels, and they may be made by completely different manufacturers depending on the model. In fact, there really isn't anything similar about the HX and TX lines other than the fact that they are all PSUs and they all have the name "Corsair" on the box.
Click to expand...

lol. Now I just have to find me a deal on on hx or ax 850
 
And they use completely different designs, and they have different levels of performance, and they have different pricing levels, and they may be made by completely different manufacturers depending on the model. In fact, there really isn't anything similar about the HX and TX lines other than the fact that they are all PSUs and they all have the name "Corsair" on the box.
Click to expand...

The HX850 and TX850 are made by different manufacturers. They both perform similarly, though. Both offer 70A on the 12V rail. Both perform to their rated efficiency, with the HX850's efficiency numbers being slightly higher. All of their outputs were within spec, with exceptionally low ripple (below 24mv for the HX and below 30mv for the TX). They received a 9.6 and 9.5 respectively from JG and were therefore both recommended buys. They are priced differently because modular power supplies typically cost more then their non-modular equivalents. However, they are similar enough in performance to make the generalization that the major difference between them, from the end-user's perspective, is that one is modular and the other is not.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top